National News at a Glance

Florida Left Reeling as Storm Slashes Through Southeast

The scope of the devastation brought by Hurricane Michael came into sobering focus Thursday as rescue workers searched a ruined landscape of splintered homes, toppled trees and upended vehicles that stretched across much of the Florida Panhandle. Rescue teams evacuated hospitals, searched rubble for survivors and dropped emergency supplies from helicopters. The storm’s rage spread across six states, and well over 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity as Michael made its way seaward as a tropical storm. At least six people were confirmed dead, and officials appeared resigned that the toll would rise.

Senate Republicans Had Deal for the Democrats

Senators, looking toward November’s elections after a bruising Supreme Court fight over Justice Brett Kavanaugh, reached an agreement Thursday to leave the Capitol for the campaign trail. Republicans exacted a steep price from Democrats for an arrangement that will free up senators through Election Day: In a flurry of votes late Thursday, they pushed through 15 more judicial nominees, including three appeals court judges, on an expedited basis. Democrats agreed to swallow the additional nominations to free up their vulnerable members to campaign full time for the next three weeks.

An Oval Office Confab Gets Weird

After a week of extensive interviews, rallies and tweets, President Donald Trump, a fan of a good media spectacle, temporarily ceded the glare of the spotlight Thursday to someone even more comfortable with it: Kanye West. In a visit to the White House for what was ostensibly a working lunch to discuss workforce training programs, sentencing reforms and African-American employment, West wore a “Make America Great Again” hat — an accessory he said made him feel like Superman — and delivered a 10-minute soliloquy. The president, a consummate showman not accustomed to sharing the camera, seemed to marvel at West’s ability to command the room.

Tactical Retreat for the GOP

Republican Party leaders are racing to reinforce their candidates in about two dozen congressional districts, trying to create a barricade around their imperiled majority. They are pouring money and effort mainly into moderate suburban areas that they see as critical to holding the chamber by even a one-seat margin. And they have begun to pull millions of dollars away from Republican candidates who have fallen substantially behind. Republicans believe that by intensifying their efforts in a smaller number of districts, they can limit Democratic gains to perhaps 20 seats on Nov. 6 — just short of the 23 seats Democrats need to take over the House.

After Rapid Increases, ACA Price Will Dip Next Year

Prices for the most popular type of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act will drop slightly next year in the federal marketplace, after several years of rapid increases, the Trump administration said Thursday. Specifically, it said, the average premium for the second-lowest-cost plans offering midlevel coverage will decline by 1.5 percent, the first time this bench mark has declined since the federal insurance exchange made its debut in 2014. Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs the online marketplace serving 39 states, said the new numbers vindicated Trump administration policies that many health care experts say have destabilized insurance markets.

After Crash, Military Halts Flights of F-35 Fighter Jets

The Pentagon grounded its fleet of F-35 strike fighter jets Thursday, weeks after one crashed in South Carolina in another setback for the advanced aircraft that has long been mired in mechanical problems. The decision to halt F-35 flights stems from what the military suspects is a faulty fuel tube installed in some of the aircraft, according to a Pentagon statement. There are roughly 220 F-35s in the U.S. inventory, purchased from defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Israel, Britain and other allies that have bought the F-35 must also ground and inspect the fuel tubes in the jets.

Washington State Court Deems Death Penalty Unconstitutional

Washington on Thursday became the latest state to end the death penalty, following a scathing state Supreme Court decision that declared the practice unconstitutional. The ruling commuted the sentences of the eight men on the state’s death row to life in prison and made Washington the 20th state where courts or legislatures have abolished or overturned capital punishment. Use of the death penalty has been in decline across the nation for nearly two decades, and Washington has not executed anyone since 2010. Capital punishment remains legal in 30 states and is also allowed by the federal government and the U.S. military.